national velvet

"What's the meaning of goodness if there isn't a little badness to overcome?"

"That'll be a dispute to the end of time, Mr. Brown: whether it's better to do the right thing for the wrong reason or the wrong thing for the right reason."

"Some day you'll learn that greatness is only the seizing of opportunity - clutching with your bare hands 'til the knuckles show white."

"We're alike. I, too, believe that everyone should have a chance at a breathtaking piece of folly once in his life. I was twenty when they said a woman couldn't swim the Channel. You're twelve; you think a horse of yours can win the Grand National. Your dream has come early; but remember, Velvet, it will have to last you all the rest of your life."


"I want it all quickly 'cause I don't want God to stop and think and wonder if I'm getting more than my share. "